Environmental Impacts

Invasive species are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss across the globe.

Ecosystems provide a variety of services to us for free and these bring many benefits to society and the economy. There are four main categories: provisioning, such as the production of food and water; regulating, which includes the control of climate and disease; supporting, for example, nutrient cycling and crop pollination; and cultural, such as spiritual and recreational benefits. Invasive species can impact on the ability of nature to provide these services resulting in increased economic costs and environmental damage.

The impacts of invasive species on biodiversity are widely demonstrated and can occur in all habitats. For example: